'We Are Heartbroken': Alex Pretti's Family Blasts Trump Administration's 'Sickening Lies' After Minneapolis Killing
Outrage erupts as the family of Alex Pretti accuses the Trump administration of spreading false claims after his deadly Minneapolis shooting.
Jan. 25 2026, Published 5:00 p.m. ET
The family of Alex Pretti has pushed back against the Trump administration after the 37-year-old ICU nurse was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Relatives accused federal officials of spreading false claims about the moments leading up to his death, calling the government’s account both misleading and inflammatory.
'Heartbroken'
Alex Pretti’s family condemned the Trump administration over claims made about the Minneapolis shooting.
The family described Pretti as a devoted ICU nurse who cared for veterans at a Minneapolis VA hospital.
'Alex Was a Kindhearted Soul'
Relatives said Pretti was unarmed and attempting to help someone during the encounter with federal agents.
His family forcefully rejected that version of events, saying video evidence shows Pretti was unarmed and attempting to help someone else.
"Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital," his family shared. "Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact."
The family went on to describe Pretti as a protector in his final moments, saying he intervened as immigration officers restrained a woman during the encounter.
"I do not throw around the hero term lightly," the statement added. "However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman."
'He Was a Good Man'
The family accused officials of spreading false information about the moments leading up to his death.
Video recorded by protesters appears to show Pretti approaching officers as they detained the woman before he was forced to the ground. A gunshot can be heard, followed by several more as agents surrounded him.
Pretti was later seen lying motionless on the pavement and was pronounced dead at the scene. DHS has maintained that its agents acted in self-defense, a claim the family has denounced as "sickening lies."
"The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs," the statement read. "He has his phone in his right hand, and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper-sprayed." "Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you," the statement concluded.
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'Wake-up Call'
His family called for truth and accountability following the deadly shooting.
On Saturday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also blasted the federal response regarding the video of Pretti, calling the Department of Homeland Security's recounting "nonsense" and "lies."
"What I see with my eyes and what you're going to see with your eyes makes that pretty hard to believe," he told reporters after watching multiple angles of the footage.
Former President Barack Obama also weighed in on the "heartbreaking tragedy," arguing it should be "a wake-up call to every American."
"Federal law enforcement and immigration agents have a tough job. But Americans expect them to carry out their duties in a lawful, accountable way, and to work with, rather than against, state and local officials to ensure public safety," Obama wrote on Sunday, January 25.
"That's not what we're seeing in Minnesota. In fact, we're seeing the opposite," he continued. "For weeks now, people across the country have been rightly outraged by the spectacle of masked ICE recruits and other federal agents acting with impunity and engaging in tactics that seem designed to intimidate, harass, provoke, and endanger the residents of a major American city... This has to stop."
